HATHORNE — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech will hold the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala this fall to support the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project.
WHEN:
Saturday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m.
WHERE:
On the front lawn of Smith Hall at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
WHAT:
Essex Tech is hosting the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala this October, which will raise money to support the school’s Larkin Cottage project.
Essex Tech students from various disciplines, including Construction Craft Laborers, Carpentry, Masonry, Electrical, Plumbing and Agriculture, have been working to rebuild the cottage, using any historically significant or otherwise useful materials from the original cottage in the process.
During the last year, the Local 22 Laborers’ Union completed the foundation in collaboration with Essex Tech’s Construction Craft Laborer and Masonry students and in partnership with S&F Concrete. The school also worked with ADD Griffin, Boston architectural firm designLAB, and Richard Griffin from Derby Square Architects.
Built in 1950, the cottage once served as the hub for the Homemaking program at Essex Tech, then known as the Essex County Agricultural School. The cottage is named for Lt. Catherine Larkin, a former student of the Homemaking program and World War II nurse who died in a plane crash in 1945.
This new building, located across Route 62 from the Farm Stand, will include an agricultural museum, learning center and community function space. The facility will feature historic artifacts from the school’s long history, and also will include a kitchen to support events.
“Rebuilding the Larkin Cottage is going to provide an invaluable, hands-on learning opportunity for our students, while also creating a new space for our classes to meet, showcase the historic past of our school and host community and private events,” Superintendent Riccio said. “We’re thrilled to rebuild the cottage, and I encourage our alumni, local businesses and organizations and the greater Essex Tech community to join us again at the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala to support this project.”
The gala will take place under a tent on the lawn in front of Smith Hall, and will feature music, hors d’oeuvres, a live and a silent auction, and a farm-to-table meal prepared by Essex Tech culinary students. The event will also include a cash beer and wine bar.
The Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented as well. The Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes members of the Essex Tech community and its past iterations, including Essex Agricultural and Technical High School, North Shore Technical High School and Peabody Vocational School, who have demonstrated a commitment to and achievement within the local vocational and/or agricultural industries.
Nominations are welcome here. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 1.
While the cost of the project is lower as a result of the work students will provide to rebuild the cottage, Essex Tech has set a fundraising goal of about $2.5 million.The 2020 Larkin Gala, held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raised about $16,200 due to the generosity of the Essex Tech community.
Tickets for the gala are $150 per person, and $1,200 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased here.
Those looking for additional ways to support the Larkin Cottage project can learn more at essexnorthshore.org/larkin/.
Essex Tech is once again hosting the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala this October, which will raise money to support the school’s Larkin Cottage project. (Photo Courtesy Essex Tech) 
The Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala returns to an in-person event next month. (Photo Courtesy Essex Tech)
